PRESENTATION: Joana Vasconcelos-Flamboyant

Recognised for her monumental sculptures and immersive installations, Joana Vasconcelos decontextualises everyday objects and updates the arts and crafts concept for the 21st century, establishing a dialogue between the private sphere and public space, popular heritage and refined culture. She questions the status of women, consumer society and collective identity with humor and irony.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo:Casa de Alba Foundation Archive

The exhibition “Flamboyant – Joana Vasconcelos at the Palace of Liria”, marks the start of an ambitious programme of contemporary art sponsored by The Casa de Alba Foundation  to coincide with its 50th anniversary. Renowned for her sculptures and monumental installations, Joana Vasconcelos transforms the halls and gardens of Palace of Liria and merges them with one of the world’s most distinguished private collections of historical art. Un-like the artist’s similar interventions in other palaces such as Versailles, the Uffizi in Florence or Ajuda in Lisbon, this is the first time that Joana Vasconcelos has brought her works to an inhabited palace. The artist’s proposed exhibition at the Palace of Liria opens a special dialogue not only between her works and those of great masters such as Velázquez, Goya or Tiziano, which are exhibited in its rooms, but also between her own personality and that of the Duke of Alba, present in every corner of this palace, which is also his home. With this in mind, the artist has selected more than forty of her works and integrated them perfectly into the different spaces of the palace, some of which have never been visited before, such as the chapel, the music room and the gardens. “The Palace of Liria is not a repository of history, but a living space that adjusts to contemporary contexts while preserving its essence,” says Vasconcelos, who is keen to establish a dialogue between contemporary art and the palace’s legacy. The starting point of Joana Vasconcelos’ proposal is the hall of the palace with two lions: “Vigoroso e Poderoso” (2006-24). These imposing guardians, made of cement and covered in crochet, mark the start of a tour that takes visitors to the most inti-mate corners of the palace, such as the chapel, which is open to the public for the first time and contains the artist’s famous “Flaming Heart” (2019-22). An example of how the artist’s work interacts with the palace’s history and collection is “Carmen” (2001), a striking iron lamp covered in black velvet. This work has been housed in the library of the Palace of Liria, where a handwritten letter to the Countess of Montijo is kept, signed by Prosper Mérimée, author of the novel of the same name, adapted by Georges Bizet into the opera which, in turn, inspired this work. The piece, made up of several rows of multicoloured hoop earrings like those worn by the Sevillian dancers, also features the voice of María Callas singing the famous aria “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”. From the traditional to the popular and the everyday, other installations highlight the historical value of the Palace of Liria and evoke Spain’s past, such as the “Coraçao Independente Preto” (2006), one of his most well-known creations, of which there are three versions: red, gold and black. Displayed in the Spanish room, the artist has chosen her version of the heart in black, alluding to the signature color of the Spanish court during the Golden Age. From her iconic “Marilyn” (2011) to the most recent “Valkyrie Thyra” (2023) or “Familia Feliz” #2 (2023), to “J’Adore Miss Dior” (2013) –a work created in collaboration with Dior and made using bottles of the French brand’s iconic fragrance– the exhibition also includes new works created specifically for the occasion. In the Zuloaga room visitors can see “Velázquez” and “Goya” (both 2024), two new works from the artist’s series of wolf figures, which on this occasion engage in a dialogue with the portraits that Zuloaga painted of several members of the House of Alba and which are exhibited in the hall. Visitors are also able to access the gardens, which are normally closed to the public, and see “La Théière” (2025) for the first time, a new work in wrought iron and ornamental vegetation in the form of a large teapot surrounded by jasmine.

Photo: Joana Vasconcelos, Flaming Heart (detail) 2019-2024, © Joana Vasconcelos, Collection of the artist. Exhibition view “Flamboyant – Joana Vasconcelos at the Palace of Liria”, Palace of Liria=Madrid, 2025, Photo: Juan Rayos, Courtesy the artist and Casa de Alba Foundation

Info: Casa de Alba Foundation, Palace of Liria, Calle de la Princesa 20, Madrid, Spain, Duration: 14/2-31/7/2025, Days & Hours: Mon 10:00-15:00 (last admission at 13:30), Tue-Sun 10:00-20:00  (last admission at 18:30), www.fundacioncasadealba.com/